Alumni Spotlight: Joshuah Dains

Joshuah Dains, a 2015 business management alumnus, is employed as a financial analyst at Mylan Pharmaceuticals in Morgantown, West Virginia.

As a company that is focused on providing the world’s 7 billion people with access to high-quality medicine, Dains said he is blessed to daily witness the passion of a group of people running a business that saves lives and provides jobs.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” he said. “I am able to use my education and apply it to my role as a financial analyst, knowing full well that the work I am doing is helping people across the globe.”

Dains responsibilities include running through a variety of scenarios and figuring out which propositions make the most business sense for the company, as well as analyzing historical data.

Although a large portion of his current success has come from lessons learned in the classroom, Dains said his undergraduate career was much more comprehensive.

“I feel as though my time prepared me very holistically,” he said. “I was able to receive a great education, but I also feel like my time at [Waynesburg University] was made exceptional by being able to be involved in a multitude of organizations.”

Dains said his involvement allowed him to develop people skills and learn how to work with individuals with conflicting views.

“I am able to rely on those past experiences. Whether at school or the workplace, people are everywhere. I feel like Waynesburg taught me how to handle all of these interactions and thrive in all environments,” he said.

Additionally, Dains participated in eight service trips during his time at Waynesburg University, adding even more dimension to his undergraduate experience. Teamwork, communication skills and growth in his faith are among the additional life lessons that Dains said he knows he will carry with him into the future.

“I now feel as though I can walk comfortably in my faith wherever I go, and much of that feeling can be credited to these trips,” he said.

Also contributing to Dains’ holistic experience is the value that Waynesburg University places on proficient and student-centered faculty members. Dains specifically credits Dr. Gordon McClung, professor of marketing, for challenging him throughout his journey.

“He is able to connect with students in the classroom, posing questions that he knew we would soon face in the real world,” Dains said. “He also tested us out of the classroom, going the extra mile to help us with career advice and allowing us to learn from his experiences in the professional world.”

Although Dains holds a lengthy list of lessons and skills he’s gained from his undergraduate experience, he places more value on the one that has taken him some time to grasp.

“I feel that because of Waynesburg University, I have developed the passion for leading and helping others. Going into college, I did a decent amount of volunteer work, but I never really understood the full picture. I didn’t realize exactly why I was doing it, other than it sounded like the right thing to do, until I got to Waynesburg. I can now tie it in with my faith knowing that I can serve in an office setting just as much as at an orphanage,” he said. “Service to people is needed everywhere, and that is the biggest thing I’ve taken away from Waynesburg University.”